Q: I am curious if the Broncos lose (offensive coordinator) Mike McCoy — which seems like it will happen — who replaces him?

A: Shawn, the Broncos' success has kept McCoy on teams' radar this season, but their playoff schedule may actually prevent him from securing a job unless one of his suitors shows a little patience in the coming weeks.

The Bills originally scheduled an interview with McCoy for Saturday, an interview that was still on the docket until Friday night when the team wanted to reschedule. What they were actually doing was hiring Syracuse coach Doug Marrone for the job, a deal completed this past weekend.

McCoy formally met with the Cardinals on Saturday to go with the Eagles and Bears on Sunday. The Bears have told at least some candidates they would like to bring the two "finalists" into Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Ill. — the team's practice complex — within the next week or so.

That would seem to leave McCoy out of the mix if the Broncos win their playoff opener Saturday. Some in the league believe Chicago, in search of somebody to repair an offense that has floundered, is the best fit for McCoy if he were to leave.

Arizona has serious quarterback issues, and the organization is considered a bit out of synch by many in the league — that it's hard for the head coach to get things done that need to be done. The Cardinals have interviewed their own defensive coordinator — Ray Horton, a highly respected assistant — along with McCoy.

The Cardinals are also pursuing Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and have received permission to interview Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

The Eagles went all-in and swung big for Oregon coach Chip Kelly, so any coach the Eagles hire now will have to deal with the public perception that he was not the first choice. That's not the best start in an already difficult place to try to lift a team with plenty of personnel issues.

And the team has some pending salary-cap problems on the way given the enormous free-agency shopping sprees it has conducted in the last two years.

So, certainly McCoy's credentials match up well in the current hiring pool. It will be a matter of whether or not teams feel pressure to fill the openings in the next two weeks, that they feel the need to appear to be doing something. Because McCoy is now off the docket, at least for teams he hasn't interviewed with yet, until the Broncos are bounced from the playoffs or play in the Super Bowl, whichever comes first.

There is a window in the off week before the Super Bowl where teams could interview a candidate from one of the Super Bowl teams they have already interviewed a second time, but that window is two weeks away.

But if he does move on, look for Broncos coach John Fox to try to reel in an experienced hand to run the team's offense. The Broncos have got a good thing going on offense, and he's going to want to keep that momentum.

He's known Norv Turner a long time and the two are good friends. Turner would certainly be one of the first calls he would make. It's worth noting that experience seemed to matter around the league this past season.

Four of the top seven defenses were guided by former NFL head coaches. Three of the top seven offenses were directed by former head coaches, a total that includes Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. It is an approach Fox has already used to fill a key spot on his staff.

Also, former Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt would be another potential candidate if he doesn't secure another head coaching job in the league. There are still five head coaching jobs open. And with Kelly staying at Oregon, Whisenhunt's chances have improved at least some.

But like Del Rio, Whisenhunt fresh off being fired isn't simply just going to jump at any head coaching job that might come his way. He'll be a little more patient on his end.

And face it, if you're an offensive coach, working with the Broncos and Peyton Manning isn't going to harm your resume. It would be a popular job.

Manning does know both Turner and Whisenhunt well, so the transition would likely be fairly seamless there.

Broncos quarterbacks coach Adam Gase is on track to be an offensive coordinator in the league. The Broncos would consider that as well. It would just be a matter of deciding whether or not the 34-year-old is ready to be a play-caller on game day.